Richard Harris Exposes the Truth About Frank McCourt and Angela’s Ashes

[@suzannebouse8747]

Poverty is a terrible thing regardless of where you live or what decade I grew up in the 60s and 70s in Glasgow, my father also drank and gambled the wages got himself fired or paid off every job My mother never had anything until she divorced him and went out to work Luckily thanks to the kindness of neighbours and family we didn’t starve but when I watch Angela’s ashes I thank my lucky stars

[@kyhber1]

You're so right...

[@emeraldchronicle]

I appreciate you opening up about your experience. It's inspiring to hear how kindness from neighbors and family made such a difference in your life.

[@suzannebouse8747]

@ we were all in the same position so to speak We looked out for each other

[@Elfrida-ls2mo]

When Scotland is the Richest Country in Europe and one of the Richest Countries in the World in fact GBUK was so Rare it had all it needed The English Wales obeying their Pure Evil Foreign French German Rulers Masters let themselves be Enslaved then enslaved the Scots then the Evil Real Rulers of The UK Old Family UK Lords UK Royals UK Military Chiefs and their Top Pure Evil UK Military and SS Clones and with a few Pure Evil Pals invaded every country on Earth and enslaved Humanity This has destroyed GBUK As the Scots stood up for thousands of Years longer than any other EU Country and nearly every country on Earth against all the Pure Evil invaders to GBUK untill they were nearly extinct 3 Times where was God or anything good or just in the Cosmos The Greeks Romans Arabs were to blame and the biggest Evil to Humanity

[@dnhy7951]

That Harris was a right blower.I wouldn't believe a word from that gobdaw.

[@maggieadams8600]

I don't think that Frank McCourt only moaned in his books at all, he was amusing and witty, and although it's a sad story in many places, he still made me laugh whilst reading it. I also think that the film was brilliant, and that Richard Harris takes a heck of a liberty in assuming that he knows more about someone's life than the person themselves.

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I love hearing different perspectives on McCourt’s work and the film adaptation. It really shows how impactful his storytelling can be!

[@rosamariamendoza1466]

They lived with their mother, not you! I believe the MacCourts. Not the mother.

[@user-pd5vl4lr5p]

He knew them, he knew their mother Angela. He played rugby with people who shared the authors upbringing, and who did not recognise the community he described. The most telling thing was how this family was not helped, as was typical of the poor at that time. That tells you they were not popular, and given how vile the two brothers were to their mother, I am not surprised by that. Americans having a twisted view of their heritage is par for the course, but this author had a victim mentality, without understanding that there might have been a self inflicted reason that his family were 'victims'.

[@nevisscot7697]

If so there certainly was a lot to moan about..all my granparents were Irish .

[@thefitzs]

Ah yes that tragic Irish sense of humor. The book was loaded with it. Hardly one long moan. Richard Harris is on crack

[@bidbadgray]

I had a mad childhood in Limerick with a lot of laughter and fantastic characters

[@BruceLee-fd7uw]

I stayed in one of the castles down there, Grey Abbey and I loved it, happiest time of my life

[@JongeMatador]

Can't imagine many actors this day and age willing to ring a radio show and give unfiltered interviews like this. Their PR handlers would have a fit!

[@FredJones-bl4tq]

True. He would have had to be on a 'mission'.

[@hilariousname6826]

Can't imagine many decent people this day and age willing to ring a radio show and give unfiltered malicious, gossip about old drinking buddies like this.

[@Rosemary-iz5vc]

It’s hard for people alive today to understand the widespread poverty of the past. My father was born in the early twentieth century. He didn’t like to talk much about his childhood but he did tell me that he never had any shoes until he joined the army as a teenager. In the Summer he went barefoot and in the winter he wore rags on his feet. Can you imagine any child in the western world today, however poor they may be, not having shoes.

[@Roz-y2d]

Ireland was in the stranglehold of the catholic church. They kept the people poor and suffering, but no longer! And don’t forget it was WOMEN who caused the most pain to little children….. NUNS!!!

[@markalley3287]

People can live in the same place and time and have very different experiences, and perception of similar experiences can be very different between people...

[@emeraldchronicle]

Absolutely! It's fascinating how our individual perspectives shape our experiences, even in the same environment.

[@TheCarlocaroline]

I agree

[@CarmenBarrett-w7r]

Agree. I've my imperfect, but always loving, stable nurturing, not rich, childhood gifted me with an optimistic outlook and trust in goodness, generosity of others. My dearest friend who had a chaotic childhood because of alcoholism and neglect is mistrustful, and often bitter. Sad but totally understandable.

[@seannamadra5675]

Two men born in different circumstances born around same time.

[@NorahLogan-k3e]

@@markalley3287 I agree they can live in the same house and have different experiences.

[@almajennygudmundsdottir7601]

One of the best book I have ever read. Crying, laughing, all the little things who makes each life on earth so personal. Best regards from Reykjavik Iceland

[@deisegirl4123]

The book was based on lies

[@SlimKeith11]

So if it wasn't truthful and he defamed family member then who cares as long as you laughed.

[@dinolan9559]

A truly talented man is Frank McCourt. Writing HIS story & HIS own lived experience portraying sadness, pain, love & joy with tenderness & humour. He deserves praise & accolades.

[@SlimKeith11]

Screw the hundreds of people who have come forward, like Richard Harris to explain that Frank has been a bast-rd and user his entire life, his Mother was trying to survive and they treated her horribly, it was truly disgusting. $1000 says you're not even Irish and have never been to Limerick but you have your feelings, if not facts to form opinions.

[@thefitzs]

I attended a talk McCourt gave several years ago and he was warm and very funny and humble. I'm really struggling to believe all that Harris has to say and wonder what his motive might be. I love Richard Harris as a performer but I'm kinda scratching my head over here.

[@JohnK-ct3qy]

My uncles lived just around the corner from the McCourts and told me they didn't have it as bad as the movie was made out to be my uncles said everyone had it rough my own family was by no means rich but the mccorts had family had shoes my family didn't. Richard Harris is a limerick legend the true king of limerick we even have a Statue of Richard Harris in the middle of the town center. There a reason why all the old times hated Frank and that's why there's no Statues of frank Mccourt.

[@JohnK-ct3qy]

​@@SlimKeith11I'm a proud limerick man and still only live 15 minutes from Frank's old house he never had anything good to say about limerick. I'd belive my own family who were there when all this was supposed to be happening and if you Mentioned mccorts name all the old timers never had anything good to say about him. There's a reason why there's a statue of Richard Harris and not mccort.

[@22Too]

Speaking out about abuse and neglect is NOT the same as being disloyal. Sharing the truth is being authentic.

[@marilynbrown5274]

I was put off on the book..for some reason. I DID feel it had a certain disloyalty..and was embellished for the Bucks.

[@denislaw8]

A forthright, honest and sober Richard Harris. Very entertaining.

[@emeraldchronicle]

Richard Harris had a unique way of captivating his audience, didn't he? His honesty really shines through in this performance!

[@mrsinn2642]

I highly doubt he was sober, the man was a chronic alcoholic.

[@denislaw8]

@@mrsinn2642 A drop of whiskey for the flu, no doubt.

[@soeffingwhat]

@@mrsinn2642 Yes but he stopped drinking in later life

[@ALavin-en1kr]

Great interview. Love Richard Harris and Peter O’Toole. Great talents and good people.

[@DougLyons-d8t]

My dad was a good friend of Frank’s brother Malachy. They shared an apartment for a couple years in NYC. He also met Frank and their mother. Malachy was a great fellow. Malachy would have given his shirt off his back to my dad. They played rugby together in NYC before my dad moved up to Boston to start a business with a college friend. This sounds like a bitter man.

[@christine-pv3wc]

Thank you for this little bit of daylight on the story I really enjoyed reading! I agree that it sounds like a bitter man.

[@noreennoonan160]

A Snob.

[@chrismostert5338]

Harris has a personal problem with Frank McCourt for what ever reason. Seems like a bit of jealousy there regarding the book and McCourt's success. Most of all though, [ IMO, ] he talks absolute shite when he say's people living in the same area, experience the same childhood and growing up situations. When I and my brother and sister were small kids, our father was pissed out of his head most days, could not hold down a job, and buggered off, never to return, after flogging all the meagre home furnishings, while we were at school and our mother at work, trying to support us, when my brother and I [ twins ] were 7 years of age, and our sister 6 years old, meanwhile my best friend who lived in the flat next door had a hard working, teetotal dad, who adored his kids and worked his arse off to do the best for them. Everybody can have totally different memories, particularly concerning their childhood.

[@aliceflanagan3672]

Best written book I've ever read. I could smell the smells. It was horrible and wonderful at the same time.

[@bidbadgray]

I grew up round around those areas some of it is close to the truth. However the people of Limerick are a resilient bunch

[@DaveGreeneramblingcarpenter]

Much as I love Richard Harris,, I'd take anything he says with a pinch of salt 😂 My grandad was born in Limerick in 1907,, very very poor, hard times indeed,,

[@marylynch951]

Agree 💯

[@ludwigwittgenstein2422]

Correct

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for sharing your grandad's story! It's a powerful reminder of the resilience and strength of those who came before us.

[@maureenmartin4730]

It was a true story and a true story for too many people in Ireland. Richard H may have had an ok upbringing but not everyone did. It wasn’t just in limerick it was countrywide .

[@helendeegan1591]

I believe every word in that book Angela's Ashes, they were born into a situation where the father was an alcoholic, and wasn't able to look after them. The mother did the best she could. Because it doesn't sound nice, doesn't mean it isn't true, it is true.

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for your insightful comment! It’s crucial to acknowledge the broader context of these stories and how they resonate with so many.

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It’s important to acknowledge the realities of such situations and appreciate the strength of those who endure them.

[@donalkinsella4380]

He had more than an ok upbringing. His family were wealthy business owners. He lived in a very large home wanting for nothing. Look him up.

[@helendeegan1591]

@@donalkinsella4380 Who? the McCourts or Richard Harris. I thought the McCourt family started life in NYC and returned to Limerick.

[@SpikeProtein-c3p]

I grew up in Limerick and that book is certainly true to the Limerick I knew. Richard was a fine actor, and I’ll leave it at that.

[@nodgelyobo1]

Richard Harris was a posh middle class Welsh/English thespian, who tried to sound like 'one of the lads' and who thought the likes of working class folk like the McCourts should know their position in life and remain on the poverty line...If you had to ask any actor American or British to speak in a Limerick accent they wouldn't be able to do it...But if you asked them to speak in a typical Irish accent, they would sound like RH....The man is a total phoney, and it kills him to see a working class person from the slums have some success in life..Probably why Frank McCourt gave him a dig in that NY bar...but as you say he was a fine actor, and maybe he should just stick to acting and lying around intoxicated in his Bahamas mansion!...take away his acting and he's an a-hole like the rest of us!

[@emeraldchronicle]

Totally get what you mean! Limerick's vibe is something else, and Richard really brought it to life!

[@marylynch951]

Absolutely agree 💯

[@DeirdreCatherineDoyle-q6m]

Lovely man. We would laugh about fearsome Katie my nan.

[@DeirdreCatherineDoyle-q6m]

Ta all 4 posting.

[@jimbobarooney2861]

Great to here Richard Harris's voice, it feels like the interview was done today or yesterday.. very articulate speaker. They are all gone now RIP, they all had their flaws and good sides too, as we all do.

[@annemariehourigan1599]

I grew up in Limerick and lived off the Ennis Road near Landsdowne Park. I went to good schools .Salesians and Laurel Hill. It all went well until my Mother became seriously ill .My Father had to sell the family home to pay her medical fees. There were no handouts especially from the Church. My Father was a strobg perso and never gave up. I was glad to leave the small town snobbery and the Priest ridden society which kept people in grinding ignorance .I was fortunate in the family I had.

[@Changojoni]

I found this a fascinating interview, but I must take exception to one thing, having read the book four or five times. Frank never said that his father was a Protestant and unable to get work because of this. His father WAS Catholic but from the North. His father made him learn the catechism to become an altar boy. He also used to rouse the boys to song about freeing Northern Ireland . He wrote that Angela's family , being from Limerick didn't like the his father, saying that "he had those funny ways of the North" and "the look of a Presbyterian " . Also the fact that he was a drunkard, who could never be depended upon to support his family added to their distain for the man.

[@pippalefebvre5575]

I’m not going to defend Frank McCourt. I will say that growing up in extreme poverty surrounded by illness, death, hunger, and abuse from an alcoholic father will damage a child’s psyche. Not all children are equally resilient. Frank and his brother probably had to learn to use people from a young age just to survive. And they are probably entitled to some resentment towards their mother for not doing more to protect them in childhood. I’m not saying that I would want to be friends with either man. I’m not saying they are good people. Im simply saying that a childhood, even half as bad as Frank describes in his book, is the perfect cauldron to create very damaged adults. I can’t fault them for being damaged by a miserable childhood. Again, not all people are equally as resilient or impervious to hardship.

[@SierraLynx2]

Love❤Richard Harris ..a man of true integrity

[@Pearcity]

Huh?

[@margyeoman3564]

And of opinion, obviously ​@@Pearcity

[@ExiledStardust]

He's telling the truth here. It's amazing how many people are desperate to defend a jerk like Frank McCourt just because they found his book entertaining.

[@EarthlingY2k]

@@margyeoman3564 having read McCourts autobiography I have to agree with the late great Richard Harris

[@JohnK-ct3qy]

​@@ExiledStardustmy family only lived around the corner they had it worse then th mccorts but they never complained or had hate in there Hearts for limerick. There a reason why a Statue of harris and not the mccort in the middle of limerick city. My son plays for youth munster now up the cookies.

[@franceslandrum2882]

At the moment I closed the book I broke down in tears. Mr. Harris was a great actor, I’m not sure why he had such ill feelings towards Frank McCourt. If it’s just because he felt a loyalty to his childhood home he obviously did not experience what the McCourt brothers had experienced. It’s an old man’s grievance and ego.

[@movinon1242]

I think he explains it pretty well in this interview. Harris is superbly loyal to his hometown of Limerick, as almost everyone from Limerick is expected to be. Additionally, many people from Ireland, and Limerick in particular, took great issue with the depiction of life in Ireland: from the book, and later from the film. That McCourt's tales reinforced the stereotype of Ireland being a third world backwater.

[@noreennoonan160]

And their unfortunate Mother.

[@Eire_Go_Deo]

I'm a huge Richard Harris fan and I enjoyed Mccourt's book (and the film). I can see both sides here. It's important to remember that Harris had a very privileged childhood compared to Mccourt; none of us will ever know what it was like living in Frank's house as a child, all we can do is speculate. I'm a writer (also an Irishman) and i'm sure Mccourt manipulated/altered certain facts/representations of people because that's what writers do (just because a book is advertised as autobiographical/ a memoir, it doesn't mean that it's all true). I admire both men for using their talents of writing and acting to attain success. A grand pair of lads, regardless of their issues with each other.

[@Pearcity]

The father who put his beer on his child’s coffin, McCourt was correct when he wrote he was lucky to survive at all. Other comments support McCourt’s own experience.

[@poledancingpaddy6029]

harris is dishonest in my opinion did he ever return to his beloved paradsise in limerick ,isuspect not, ofc i know little about him but i know limerick

[@poledancingpaddy6029]

its a bit rich of harris ,demanding loyalt to limerick a terible dump for most of its existance ofc harris was anglo irish his ancestors kept limerick poverty stricken for centuries

[@Galwayblazer]

There’s an element of jealousy in what Harris says , when he says Malachy was trying to “ get above his station” by playing rugby for Bohemians it sort of tells you that Harris is the snob that thinks the McCourts were getting more famous than he was and needed taking down a peg or two, it’s classic Irish begrudgery, the old “ who the hell do they think they are “ attitude at anyone getting ahead in life . Harris’s lack of charity in his words kind of vindicates the McCourt’s take on Limerick people ironically. I’ve never read the book but I do come from one of the most socially and economically deprived areas in Ireland and I can tell you first hand there was snobbery even in working class areas, if you got a breakfast in the morning before school other than tea and toast you were considered privileged , if you’re Dad didn’t drink it was like your family won the lottery . Even the Catholic Church courted the upper class , usually pub and shop owners , the fur coat brigade that took up every front seat at Sunday mass, the pub owners were the bane of the community but given respect by the church because of donations. The teachers appropriated a class distinction without merit as most of their ranks were filled with reprobates and sadistic pedos. Anyone with any gumption left Ireland at that time because of the narrow parochial attitudes that stifled individualism, creativity and freedom of expression, the repressive school system usually run by the overly rigid Christian Brothers created a country full of abused children who grew up to rebel against authority figures , the convents, well, the evil that went on behind those walls is the shame of Ireland, thank God the light has now been shone in the darkest corners and there’s no hiding places for the deviants and abusers.

[@madwhitehare3635]

The priests of the small god Cathol have a lot to answer for...

[@macalacalan1175]

Well written indeed. A window into a society and a people oppressively controlled and divided by an evil cult (religion). As a 4th generation Australian of Scottish Irish ancestry, I'm so fortunate that my forefathers sailed here to escape the ancient, tribal, religious and parochial poverty characteristic of the troubled 'old country' and established a freer, more open and egalitarian society - albeit a colony first of England and now the US 🦘

[@ExiledStardust]

Richard Harris was a legendary actor. Among other roles, he was the original Dumbledore in the Harry Potter movies. He had no reason whatsoever to feel any jealousy for the McCourts. I have read Frank McCourt's book and it is full of hatred for Angela and cruel remarks about her. Harris is not wrong.

[@FranssensM]

Come on not all catholic priests abuse children. It’s a tiny minority, of course it is. Reprehensible as that is. It’s also shameful they covered it up and by doing so caused more suffering as they moved these people around. But the church is still a force for good in my opinion. Flawed as all religions are with human beings running them

[@thesmallerhalf1968]

Considering the role of the Church in the iniquities of the past, I find it odd you should mention God in respect of the revealing of such appalling behaviour.

[@seanmcnamara1267]

We miss you Richard, you were a great patriot!

[@seymourclearly]

@seanmcnamara1267 yes, he was he used to, at his own expense, go around in america telling americans to stop funding the IRA, that is the sort of man irish people should call a patriot, not terrorist murderers

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for your heartfelt comment! It means a lot to see how much Richard's contributions are appreciated.

[@emeraldchronicle]

It's interesting to see different perspectives on historical figures and their actions. Every country's history is complex, and it's essential to understand all sides of the story.

[@94granny]

A very intersting listen. However, how much did Mr Harris really know of what went on in the McCourt family behind closed doors? I have aunts, uncles and cousins who, if we told them, would not believe how cruelly my siblings and I were treated and spoken to by our parents.

[@emeraldchronicle]

I really appreciate your comment! It's brave of you to share your experiences, and it highlights how different family stories can be.

[@nancyanderson5310]

Sad to have this actor judge a man whose pain he cannot feel and whose story he must deny. McCourt’s life is from a whole ‘nother world, one I know far too well. But the gracious comments rewarded me for letting Harris have his say. When I hear folk being gentle, kind, wise and fair, my can be as loving to Harris as I wish he had been to his old acquaintance. Thank you for your own gentle answers. ONWARD.

[@liamoconlocha3264]

😅my father was an alcoholic, he stole from my mother his whole life, he drank everything and so, we went to work at a very young age caddying and delivering milk, we had bed fleas, we had an overcoat over our bed, to keeep us warm in the winter. When we went to school we were batterered by christian men and women who were brutal and fierce. We never had anything like ice cream or cola or anything like that except at Xmas. Life was extremely rough, the church added to our hardship. I was in Greece when my father died, I went to the nearest bar and raised a glass to his death.

[@emeraldchronicle]

I really appreciate you sharing your journey. It’s inspiring to see how you’ve faced such challenges and come out stronger on the other side. Thank you for being so open!

[@1014-m6s]

Alcoholism drove the story of the McCourts children’s childhood. It’s no wonder Harris did not make that connection with his own history.

[@spinozareader]

Precisely.

[@basketballfan5763]

My own mother lived around the corner from Frank McCourt and she remembers the family well ..no she was not in the Poor lanes but she was literally around the corner. The one comment that Harris said that my mother said the exact same thing about was that it was the father’s fault ..he was a drunkard and that was the beginning and end of the whole thing and she said that he made his Father out to be a poet and his mother out to be a prostitute and the reality was that his father was a drunkard

[@TheCarlocaroline]

@@basketballfan5763 I think he made it pretty clear his father was an out and out drunkard but that he probably got his intelligence from him. Just because you're an alcoholic doesn't mean your stupid.

[@patrickporter1864]

Agreed.

[@wadenicholls4434]

@@patrickporter1864 Harris is wrong about him being a Protestant

[@suzannebouse8747]

Children remember what they want to remember My dad drank and gambled leaving my mother with nothing My youngest brother can’t see past our dad I put it down to not being old enough to understand what was happening He only saw the best bits of our dad he didn’t understand what he did to us as a family and that he ultimately didn’t care whether we ate or had a roof over our heads I think it’s the same with the McCourt brothers they didn’t understand that their mother did her best for them and their father just didn’t care

[@melliecrann-gaoth4789]

@basketballfan5763 I think of it is looked through the eyes of the alcoholic family, I think more truth could be found.

[@Morningstar-xz5bl]

Richard Harris, wonderful in the Field❤. Wish we had some men around now to talk about the bs going on in Ireland

[@jtothecc2421]

The Bull is me

[@patrickbracken3363]

Yeah he'd give those fascist wannabes both barrels

[@peterconroy8341]

The Field is one helluva movie. Class.

[@efitz3397]

What surprises me about this interview is how personal it is. Harris has every right to not like the book or the film and no doubt his experience on the Ennis road was a world apart from the lane. Up to the 60’s Ireland had pockets of extreme poverty and not everyone fitted into the community sometimes not through their own fault. Having an alcoholic father would have been enough for the church not to help. Both recollection are probably flawed as most are but no one can say one is untrue.

[@emeraldchronicle]

You make a great point! Personal experiences shape our perspectives, and it’s important to acknowledge the complexities of each individual’s story.

[@laurenceroe3146]

I was born in limerick, and had a great childhood, great friends, good people, its not a rough city as people make it out to be,

[@sparkyhughes131]

The movie came out around the time of a very unfair narrative of Limerick around the late 90s 00s. Im glad Harris came out in defence of his home town regardless of what part he came from. He wouldnt have it thrown under the bus.

[@wai-q2k]

Sorry, I can't take anything seriously that Ricard Harris says about McCourt. His hate and jealousy for him are palpable. Geez Louise, take a break, Richard. You're super mad. I understand the importance of loyalty to one's place of birth or country. It's natural. But for crying out loud, McCourt was writing about what he lived, HIS reality. It's true that writers (and, incidentally, I'm one of them) cannot be depended upon to be objective. And are they unique in this? Of course, not! We all tell our stories through our respective lenses and, Richard, as an artist ought to know this. I may add that I read McCourt's book, albeit didn't see the movie, and, yes, the poverty and destitution were wrenching. I suspect Harris is ashamed of this fact. So, I totally understand.

[@emeraldchronicle]

You make some excellent points about the subjective nature of writing and how personal experiences shape our narratives. It's essential to acknowledge different perspectives in art and literature.

[@user-pd5vl4lr5p]

Explain how Harris could be jealous of the author. He explained quite well why he did not like the man (and his brother) for the way they treated their mother in life, and in death, and for how they used Harris. There was a reason the family were not helped, when the poor helped each other out all the time. Their attitude to their own mother probably explains it well.

[@katesleuth1156]

Years ago my relatives of Irish origin helped each other when times were tough. They adopted each other’s babies when the mother was sick etc. I have 3 relatives who were adopted by family. This is my impression of the Irish. 🇨🇦

[@genevievedolan1288]

@@katesleuth1156 like anywhere family’s differ. Some are kind, some are cruel, some are just having too hard a time themselves to help each other.

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for sharing your beautiful family history! It's inspiring to see how love and support can transcend difficult times and create lasting connections.

[@jenniferdnoseworthy2348]

Sounds like Newfoundland too

[@stefaniekuzminski9575]

@@jenniferdnoseworthy2348I was thinking the same thing! My Grandparents were from Colliers Conception Bay and my Mom Mom and her brothers and sisters would care for each other’s children for extended periods of time during times of illness and also during long holidays. My Poppy and his brother were orphaned at a young age and was raised by family. There still is a great love of family that exists to this day ☘️ ❤️ God bless you!!

[@mrsinn2642]

I would have loved to have a pint with Richard Harris, love straight talkers like him. The Ghost of Richard Harris is a great documentary about him.

[@Sheila-ju3th]

I didn't like Angela's Ashes. Very depressing book. Everyone was poor them times but they made the best of it. Shocking the way they treated their mother disgusting,horrible.

[@kazab873]

Lovely to hear Richard Harris...my maternal Grandfather's city (mum grew up in Dublin). He too grew up in poverty in Limerick, but you'd never hear a bad word about Limerick from him...was fiercely proud of it. 😀

[@owenmcdermott5592]

Bullshit

[@jackthelad15]

Well said Richard a proud limerickman ❤

[@seandillon8713]

Richard came from the right side of the tracks.It was a different Limerick for him. Frank experienced the deprived poverty side of Limerick.

[@TheSaltydog07]

I stayed in a B&B in Limerick and recited limericks to the owners, a magic moment. 🇮🇪 ❤

[@22Too]

If Frank McCourt is, as described by Harris, "bitter" -- over an impoverished upbringing in Limerick -- so WHAT? Who would not be bitter over such a harrowing childhood?!

[@donalkinsella4380]

Harris wouldn't be living in the poverty stricken regions McCourt grew up in. Harris came from the a wealthy family, lived in a large home with everything he needed and wanted. He played rugby which at the time was a British sport for Brits. The first chance he got he left the country to live in Britain. If you want to know how tough it was in Limerick back in the day, go there now.

[@JohnK-ct3qy]

Yes he Harris did but he told the truth and loved limerick unlike frank. And sure Frank's brother Maliki played rugby for Bohemians the posh team

[@donalkinsella4380]

@@JohnK-ct3qy McCourt told of his living conditions, Harris who didn't experience those living conditions at all wrongly contradicted him. McCourt told the truth whilst Harris gave the impression he live amongst the impoverished of Limerick, he didn't. He was far far removed from the working class (lower class) families of Limerick.

[@helenferullo5706]

My family are from Lettermore; a rural area in the west of Ireland . My parent’s moved to the north of England in the 1930’s, due to the lack of work and chronic poverty. I thought Frank McCourt’s book, Angela’s Ashes was brilliant‼️. It was the first honest book about what life was like really like for many Irish people during that period, No leprechauns or fairies, just realism that I had never read from other authors. It is comforting to read warm tales about Ireland. Unfortunately, many people would sooner deny the realities of a people who survived incredible hardships and went on to create amazing lives. I am more than proud to be Irish ☘️ smAngela’s

[@SlimKeith11]

No wonder so many people find the irish fools, you're a perfect example.

[@About1on1]

I remember reading Angela’s Ashes and I felt a wee bit traumatised and as a person that loves history,especially to areas I can relate to,I’m from Aberdeen here in Scotland,I’ve been fortunate enough too see the history of my city especially between 1880s on through the years to the early 90s even. The poverty is shocking to observe. And even when one walks the graveyards the child mortality rates were so very high,Things thankfully got better for the bairns though it feels like that’s being sabotaged . My last words are of gratitude for Richard Harris the actor,writer raconteur The man

[@RileyRampant]

RH obviously had personal beefs w/ the McCourts and explained them rather well. The less defensible thing, though, is that he seems to think some bond of loyalty is owed to a city that treated the McCourt family, and doubtless others on the brink as they were, rather shabbily. The dispute seems to resolve to a loyal tribalist (RH) who presumably looks back at his time there fondly, and a pair of dissidents who didn't. It wasn't McCourt's job or obligation to make Limerick look good. It was to tell his truth, which people can accept or reject. If McCourt was a warped bitter man, as RH contends, that doesn't necessarily derate his own account of his own life, which RH and no one else was there to witness. He presumes to be an insider, but actually he was inevitably an outsider.

[@boston_octopus_442]

Best argument of all.

[@NorahLogan-k3e]

I wish to think Richard Harris for his honest opinion on Frank McCourt.

[@FredJones-bl4tq]

I enjoy Harris' work on the screen, and he's a very fine actor, but having read McCourt's first two books and having met the man at an education conference in San Francisco , I would have to say that most of what Harris has to say here is complete shyte. Harris doesn't even stick to the facts. At around 33:00 of the video, he bangs on at length about how Frank's father would have been at the "top of the queue" for any job on account of being a Northern protestant. Malachy McCourt (senior) was a Catholic and a former IRA member. He mentions Alan Parker's movie, Evita, as being a commercial flop. It was in fact, a huge success, earning over 140 million USD. And as for his opinions, characterizing Frank and his brother as bitter, this is a right laugh considering Harris' own bitterness that shines through the whole interview. I'm not sure what got up Richard's nose regarding the McCourts, but his bitter, hateful diatribe strikes me as complete rubbish from a man with a rock-sized chip on his shoulder.

[@emeraldchronicle]

I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts! It’s clear you have a deep understanding of the McCourts' story, and I love that you’re bringing that knowledge into the discussion.

[@PeterMoss54321]

Too right.

[@pdatnc]

I find it interesting that an angry, bitter sounding man is calling another man angry and bitter.

[@troygaspard6732]

Harris sticks up for his hometown. He was right about Alan Parker's career being pretty much finished by this point. "The movie is two and half hours of rain."

[@joekavanagh8997]

They are all dead now, the McCourts and Harris and they all had something to say for themselves. I met Frank and Malachy in New York City and both , especially Frank, were very congenial. I love listening to Richard Harris and only see him one time in O'Flaherty 's on 46th St . My mother and father lived in Limerick when I was a young child and always spoke highly of the people there.

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for sharing your memories! It’s so special to hear how the McCourts and Richard Harris touched your life. Limerick has such a rich history, and it’s clear that it left a lasting impression on you.

[@smiley9872]

Richard Harris, a legend

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for recognizing his talent! Richard Harris was indeed a remarkable artist who inspired so many.

[@jamesgrant9858]

I read the book , but my Irish grandmother who was born in 1902 was still alive said she was disgusted at how someone could write such things about their own mother. But I can see both Points of view (Richards &Franks)

[@tarey05]

It is unfair for Frank McCourt to be judged on loyalty to his city of birth in this memoir when his true life circumstances were so deeply rooted into poverty and his relationship with the cruel and often torturous community of the Catholic church. Because of the harshness of the Catholic church and its clergy toward poor Catholic families in Ireland at that time, Frank became highly resentful of its strict rituals and rigid rules and, in particular, its hypocrisy. It was the hypocrisy of the Church that ate away at him, causing him to harbor deep resentment and anger, that he projected on to his mother, among others. I felt that Frank as a child was deeply crushed and wounded by the lack of sympathy, compassion and interest from those who served God (clerics and nuns) and by virtue of their work, were supposed to demonstrate care and empathy. Interestingly, the Protestants may not have experienced the same level of betrayal such as financial insecurity, behavioral dysfunction due to alcoholism and addictions while following the strict rules and obligations of the Church, leading many poor Catholic families to lives of dysregulation, deep-seated anxiety and depression. The non-stop rain and darkness depicted in the movie are indicative (symbolic?) of the profound inner turmoil and psychic pain experienced by the McCourt family. Frank and Malachy disregarded their mother up until her death because she had been too deep into her own suffering to show any love and compassion for her children. As children of dysfunctional parents, they were unable to show empathy. Despite all, they have the right to their own feelings. Though I greatly admire Richard Harris for his fine work as a film and stage actor, I find it superficial of him to express that the reader of "Angela's Ashes" will view his city of Limerick as a dull and broken one! This is not the case at all, and you must give the reader more credit. Though the film version of the story could have been more artistically portrayed, I, upon reading this blistering memoir for the first time, will never forget the impact of reading its brilliantly-crafted first paragraph of the first chapter! An awe-inspiring masterpiece!

[@31Alden]

Beautifully stated comment! I completely agree. Frank McCourt penned a book about HIS life and recollections growing up in Limerick. The Catholic Church is such a paradox. Pretending to help the poor/disadvantaged while closing the door on the McCourts who were desperate for food and sustenance.

[@tarey05]

@31Alden thank you very much.

[@maryj5593]

My mother grew up in the city,she lived in a tenement in Arthur's Quay. She was outraged by Angela's Ashes which my brother and I found very difficult to fathom because she never read the book! I had read it,and explained that most of Europe was living in poverty at the time. This fact did not placate her. Many of the people of her generation that I spoke to in Limerick were upset at the portrayal. I took from it that there was a deep sense of shame and they didn't want the world to make any judgement on Limerick itself or to a lesser extent the Catholic Church or the nuns. Richard rightly points out the Protestant business owners and employment. My mother told me Limerick City people used the expression,at the time 'old decency' because they were more charitable to the poor. Whilst I was in Limerick Malachy was involving himself in the Bell Table and this caused minor controversy I seem to recall. I haven't seen the film adaptation maybe one day I will.

[@nancyanderson5310]

You are fair and gentle and thoughtful. You feed my soul good food and validate the love in my heart. Love suffers long and IS KIND. Such love is still alive. ONWARD!

[@outoforbit00]

My father born and lived all his days in Leitrim said that in the 1930s Limerick was the poorest part of Ireland in those days and many in Limerick died of TB. Regarding the McCourt brothers I think they were unconsciously depressed. Living under a violent alcoholic can have disastrous consequences on children. Btw everyone in these comments are talking as if no such people exist in Ireland. Sadly they do just like everwhere else. If what Harris says about the McCourt brothers is true it is very sad that they didn't come to a place of forgiveness and peace of mind. Harris does show here that he may have experienced some sort of betrayal from the McCourts or maybe he is rather depressed himself. He was a womaniser and never settled into a long lasting love relationship. My hunch is he and the McCourts are probably more alike than either party could ever admit.

[@genevievedolan1288]

@@outoforbit00 I think your last comment there is very true!

[@chasey2327]

tend to agree

[@emeraldchronicle]

I appreciate your thoughtful comment! It’s important to acknowledge the struggles that many faced during those times, and your perspective adds depth to the conversation about the McCourts.

[@seanwalsh1755]

@@emeraldchronicle

[@jessiewhyte9729]

Like most drunks Frank's father was probably a nice man when he was sober, but hell to live with.

[@patriciacorcoran4582]

There is a lot of people in Ireland didn't believe him ,I went to see the film Angela's ashes and I felt I needed an umbrella watching it with the emphasis on it raining all the time .

[@genevievedolan1288]

There are a lot of people who wouldn’t believe what went on in the Magdalene laundries, or the abuses of some priests. Truth tellers are often vilified.

[@AffectionateAstroStation-lx5is]

It's fucking Ireland and it still Rains all the Time. Are ye all living under a Rock for Jaysus sake.

[@greatest7391]

Ever been to Ireland?

[@patriciacorcoran4582]

@@AffectionateAstroStation-lx5is Scotland is a rainier place and I'll leave out the f word .

[@AffectionateAstroStation-lx5is]

@@patriciacorcoran4582 Your fucking Joking Patricia so you are.🤣🤣

[@Lifeguard415]

I knew Malachy. He was the bartender at Perry’s on Union St in San Francisco in the mid to late 1980’s. He would ring a bell & announce THE O’HARA SISTERS are in the house!! Everyone cheered. Wonderful guy ☘️☘️

[@emeraldchronicle]

It's amazing to hear such fond memories of Malachy! He truly knew how to create a vibrant atmosphere at Perry's. Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@poshmum]

Unfortunately the Irish won't accept the truth about the abuse of women and children which did happen. I'm not saying that Frank didn't embalsh the book and the story. But unfortunately much could be based on lived experience.

[@hilariousname6826]

I grew up in a respectable neighbourhood in a small city. In our high school, we had kids from the poorest to the richest families, and to a degree, we all socialized, and there were close friendships that crossed class lines. However, I would never presume to gainsay an old schoolmate from a poor neighbourhood regarding their experience of poverty, unless, possibly, as a kid, I had spent an awful lot of time in their home.

[@6600richie]

Thanks for publishing this.

[@bowwowrapha7790]

I'm only 3 minutes in and I've had to take a break, "they would use you". Ireland's fortunes are built on that attitude!!

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for your kind words! It really motivates me to create more content for you all.

[@mwilliams9958]

My Irish born mother, who moved to the US at 18, hated the book. But she lived her entire life denying abusive treatment of her own children. Her baseline of acceptable human behavior was poisoned and unhealthy. The Irish need to stop gaslighting people who point out abuse. The "user" trait is VERY IRISH. My extended family is littered with narcissists.

[@emeraldchronicle]

I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts. It takes courage to confront these issues, and your perspective adds valuable depth to the conversation.

[@jjjjt668]

Your writing drew my attention, as it's pure and an honest perspective drawn from understanding or thinking about the Irish in a deep way. I was born in the east end of London to Irish parents in 1962, moved to Ireland in '73, the height of the troubles, and with a cockney accent it wasn't easy but Ireland to me is a very special place that must be protected , every county , this is a very special place.

[@jjjjt668]

@@emeraldchronicle thank you, it's been an interesting journey and without Ireland and the Irish it would have been less interesting! I believe the Irish, (and I live here, family man etc) to be the biggest rouges under the sun and will talk about you and slag you off, but when you're down the Irish will pick you up and dust you off and get you going again, no questions asked! Never mind our poets, musicians our authors our culture our heritage, for such a small country on the one dimensional map of the world it sure packs a punch!. Let's keep it safe.

[@nedthestaffieegan3452]

Astute insight and I thoroughly agree. We Irish are such a complicated bunch, with so many contradictions and double standards. Our collective psyche is a contorted collection of inherited beliefs, like Chinese whispers passed down with embellishments in every generation. Most of us grow up without any clue of who we really are as individuals, no matter how much we think we do. Even if we get some inkling at some stage that there might be more to us than we thought, our path to 'finding ourselves' is thwarted by interference and unsolicited 'advice' from the people who have been wrapped up in the fantasy. God help us if we find ourselves in therapy, as that's when all the dirt comes out that's been swept under the carpet. The beliefs we held that formed our identity, worldview and the shared narratives about who did what, are all questioned and turned upside down. Nothing is as it seemed. We are a stranger to ourselves, and are left with the task of unraveling everything to separate truth from illusion. The double standards, and inconsistencies with some of the nonsensical beliefs, societal customs, expectations, and moral gray areas is mind boggling. Some things are absolutely prohibited and totally unacceptable, resulting in societal ostracization. Yet other transgressions, that are far more insidious and evil, pass unnoticed and unchecked. This is ok, but that isn't. It's madness. I've left 20 years ago, but it's taken a very long time to work through the societal conditioning and underlying beliefs. There's a lot more than people think, beneath the smiles and the fun loving attitude of the Irish. We carry a dark dark inheritance deep in our bones.

[@jtothecc2421]

That's a family thing.

[@janebaker966]

My nieces ex partner of 20+ years ago,the father of her fine son,came to england aged 9 with his family from Ireland. He and his brother had to go to school alteernate weeks as they only had one pair of shoes between them.

[@laurashrodeanderson7283]

I read Angela's Ashes when it came out and it very much echoed my own father's upbringing in that same era. I also have friends from Limerick who outright knew several people in that book and said "I won't speak ill of those who have passed, but I will say I can very much agree with much that is said!" Richard Harris sounds pitifully bitter about the McCourts. Not sure what all his whinging is about! It sounds like he is bitter about not being part of their circle. He comes off as the pampered rich boy he is and wallowing that another Limerick man stole his attention.

[@mairedaly4926]

I'm not sure if I can believe that middle class Richard Harris can give the same account of Limerick as working/underclass Frank McCourt. I know folk who said, Ireland was never like that, and others who said, 'goodness this is so true to life then'. The difference between those people.... class. The Catholic Church also showed deference to the upper classes, treating the working class appallingly.

[@CatherineQuinn-u5w]

My first thought when I read, “Angela’s Ashes” was that Irish people really help each other. That reality of Irish life back in the day was not reflected at all in that book- Richard Harris us actually saying this too as I am typing!!!

[@oscarman58]

Thanks!

[@emeraldchronicle]

Well how very very decent of you. Thank you so much.

[@eringobreathtiocfaidharla1446]

Richard Harris knew nothing about poverty in limerick ,he was from a wealthy middle class merchant family on the extremely affluent,as it remains today,Ennis road ,he knew absolutely nothing about the lanes ,what frank said was absolutely 100% facts .

[@ronbr1000]

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the movie. A little professional jealously methinks

[@PrinceofRanelagh]

Richard Harris is wonderful in this interview. Top Class , I recommend it. The McCourts were very negative people.

[@AffectionateAstroStation-lx5is]

If you were brought up with severe poverty would you be all wine and Roses. Harris had a very easy childhood and had plenty opportunities ,so he can't understand the McCourts.

[@emeraldchronicle]

I completely agree! Richard Harris brought so much depth to the interview. His insights were truly captivating!

[@sheilabrennan4481]

how do you know this?

[@ludwigwittgenstein2422]

You're a negative person and a gossip monger

[@melliecrann-gaoth4789]

One question I have is a lot of it about the father being an alcoholic and all the hardship within the family was fuelled by what they call “Dysfunction family”

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for your thought-provoking comment! It's crucial to discuss these issues openly, and I appreciate you bringing it up.

[@ballygeale1]

As a limerick man allso know as a shannon sider I love Richard Harris ,but Richard came from a rich family and by right he doesn't know anything about poverty

[@emeraldchronicle]

It's interesting to consider how a person's background influences their art. Richard Harris certainly had a unique perspective that resonated with many, regardless of his upbringing.

[@susanb4816]

The movie cost 20 million to make and earned 37 million at the american boxoffice: hardly a flop. Harris is bent and irrational. If he loved limerick so much, why did he leave? He is incredibly judgemental

[@movinon1242]

$37MM gross. The theatre and distribution takes 1/2 of that. Then there were marketing costs, which are never accounted for in the reported budget. Maybe, over the years, the film recouped its costs. But the film wasn't profitable.

[@penelopecarterdougherty8575]

So happy to have come across this..............I am a NY born and bred IIrish Catholic who lived in the NY Catholic Fouldling Hospital for the first three years of my life and I have ALWAYS been able to tell who is full of shite ...... and my instincts, according to Richard Harris, whom I loved, were ALWAYS right in step with Harris when it came to BOTH McCourt's. They REALLY give the Irish a bad name.

[@samanthab1923]

Back when it came out I had no desire to read it. What little I knew of Frank McCourt just turned me off. Didn’t need to read more sad tales of Ireland.

[@emeraldchronicle]

I truly appreciate you taking the time to comment and share your thoughts. Your experiences add so much depth to the conversation!

[@darrincassidy9045]

If you're bred in the NY that makes you American,not Irish.

[@hilariousname6826]

@@darrincassidy9045 Ffs, you Irish who feel the need to point out to every Irish-American that they are not Irish are as tiresome as those Irish-Americans who boast about being 'Irish".

[@Quit-u1u]

Lived in Limerick. There waa one thing they couldnt stand, anyone acting above their station. They didnt mind how posh you were as long as you didn't pretend to be posher. Maybe it works the other way too. Dont act below your station.

[@emeraldchronicle]

Absolutely! Authenticity is key. It’s all about being true to yourself and respecting where you come from!

[@genevievedolan1288]

To Emerald Chronicle: I wish you had not used those awful AI images. We all know what dire poverty looks like, we don’t need to see it over and over. It becomes poverty porn. Especially the false images of an old woman in dire conditions presented as if these were images of Angela in her old age. The interview itself was very interesting though, and thank you for sharing it.

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for your feedback! I appreciate your perspective on the use of AI images and will take it into consideration for future content. I’m glad you found the interview interesting!

[@commane21]

I agree. Especially the images of Angela in some impoverished, littered, aged state.

[@riverwolf654]

Gotta love Harris, no airs and graces about him, a proper Irishman.

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for your kind words! Harris really brings a unique authenticity that many appreciate.

[@greatest7391]

Harris came from a very rich posh background and was Welsh by blood.

[@riverwolf654]

@@greatest7391 and youre a knobhead

[@MarkSmithbasic-ei3ue]

He spent his life trying to be British. Living in hotels and talking about his home in the Bahamas. He’s a narcissist playing whatever character he needs to

[@AlanDoherty-ru6iq]

Thank you.❤

[@emeraldchronicle]

You are so welcome

[@dscan5254]

Brilliant video thank you God bless this wonderful gentleman 🙏🏼.

[@emeraldchronicle]

I truly appreciate your generous comment! It means a lot to me that you found the video helpful. God bless you too!

[@EarthlingY2k]

Coming from Irish heritage I’ve heard many a sad tale and song from my mother but Angela’s Ashes left me cold. But after reading McCourts first memoir I have to agree with Mr Harris as this memoir portrays an angry man with few redeeming qualities. Admittedly I barely made it 3/4 through as I’ve never found it necessary for an author to graphically describe his compulsive m--- habits. Through his own memoir he comes off as thoroughly unpleasant.

[@AnnetteMurphyger]

My birrh Great-Grandfather from Limerick was a Protestant ane a Marine Engineer orgunally from.Plymouth, England and he did live on the Ennis Road in Limerick.

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for sharing this.

[@corribnews2219]

Alan Parker was a SUPERB director--maybe if he'd ever cast Harris he might think the same thing. Mississippi Burning was a flat out masterpiece and Harris knows it. What he says here is probably all very true, but if the McCourts were shameless what of Harris going on talk shows boasting about being a drunk? What would his ex-wives and especially his children have to say about any of that? No amusing anecdotes for the talk show circuit, you can be sure of that. Just very scared and confused children, damaged for life. Cheers, Richard!--Kevin Whelan

[@emeraldchronicle]

You make some valid points about the complexities of personal struggles and how they intersect with public personas. It's always interesting to see how artists navigate their pasts and the impact it has on their work.

[@Eleanor-ec8qp]

I grew up in limerick on one of the council estates it was a very deprived existence and I lived all of my life with the shame of coming from a council estate there was and probably it still is very decided between the rich and not well off I did not have a good experience of life there and I have no pride of my so called home county I could writ books on the discrimination I felt there and still feel to this day I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to lt.leave when I was a teenager and create a life for myself unfortunately I had to come back to Ireland to retire but I never want to go back to limerick I have 5 sisters and 3 brothers whom I never see or hear from the family relationships are very strange in Ireland it’s my experience it would say disunited I loved Angela’s ashes it was sad but it’s was real especially if you come from a or family especially in those times those were the the times I lived there and I know about the poverty of that time in limerick to this day I have never recovered from the shame of coming from limerick even though I’m now very well educated and have had a very good life experiences no thanks to the nuns that suppose to have taught me at school best of luck to those who love the city but I don’t have those admirations for it thanks for the video I think the mc courts were great men to survive such a childhood and succeed in their lives in America

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for sharing your story. It’s important to reflect on our experiences and recognize how they shape us. Your resilience is truly inspiring!

[@SarahGreen523]

I read Angela's Ashes and then promptly forgot it. I saw the movie on cable back in the day, and all I remembered was Robert Carlyle and his character washing his suit with carbolic soap and all the water all over all of the time. After hearing Richard Harris discuss the author's attitude toward his mother and what they did to her after she died I feel my brain did the right thing. I love Richard Harris, and I miss his presence here on the mortal coil.

[@peterdoyle1591]

That's us Irish for sure. Nobody can sell the beauty of Ireland like the Irish can. And we can do a damned good job at selling the misery of Ireland even better. We are indeed a land of poets and writers, saints and scholars. Life is hard for everyone rich or poor but misery sells better because we can relate more easily to self-pity. The book and the movie were a pack of lies. In every poor community, around the world, you will find love and support. But not the McCourt family it appears. So the question is why not? I have a tendency to believe Richard Harris and all he has said.

[@emeraldchronicle]

You bring up some excellent points about the complexities of Irish identity and storytelling. It's true that our culture has a unique way of showcasing both beauty and hardship.

[@basketballfan5763]

My father’s father had the keys to every church in Limerick and there was some part of the book that was technically incorrect because Frank McCourt claimed he climbed over the wall so I think it was the fathers church( the Redemptorist church) and my father said that his father had the keys and the thing about the gate Of the fathers church that McCourt supposedly climbed one night was too high to climb over… some sort of technicality like that! I’ve seen the film.. it’s very depressing! I got halfway through the book but my father said it was a pack of lies and that there was a guy in a pub that wrote a refutation book. And this book was true but contentious. Once he went on the late late show (McCourt) that was the end of it and you couldn’t really criticise him after that but the reality is that the older men that lived through that time in the pubs in Limerick all said the book was a pack of lies

[@tomlyne1172]

Tis in my arse or something along those lines was the book refuting his book tis ​@@basketballfan5763

[@roselovett8350]

I've always liked Richard Harris's acting, especially pre Harry Potter; but was quite taken aback at hearing the loathsome things he has to say about Frank McCourt and his family. It really was beneath him to come out so obviously full of sour grapes and vitriol. He did himself no favours at all, and it's such a shame that this is how I will now remember him. I think though, he does give a suggestion as to why he felt the need to vent spleen so vehemently about Frank at the very beginning of the interview, when he said that Frank once punched him on the nose. I think that that's all this is about....that and "artistic rivalry/jealousy". He said he had to come out and "defend Limerick" from all the terrible things Frank said in Angela's Ashes about the place he grew up. I have read that book a few times, and I don't get any sense of him really badly rubbishing the place....he said it was wet and miserable with an alcoholic father, lived in poverty, and with plenty of cruel, mean nasty nuns, priests and school teachers. ...those are the factors that made Frank's time in Limerick so horrible and made him want to escape. Why is that such a problem for Richard and his cronies? Why did he feel Frank should not have said it, and call him a liar etc? It is a book!...and whether Frank omitted certain things or took artistic license or not...is his choice...it's his book, his life, his experience. None of Richard's business. I also think Richard saw an opportunity to try to boost his own standing in Limerick by putting Frank down. Also, Angela died in New York, so it would have been quite a difficult task at that time to take her body back to Limerick for a burial. Richard wasn't actually physically there to know what was said and done. He's gossiping like one of the old ladies wrapped in shawls. Such a shame.

[@walkingstick6655]

The movie actually netted a reasonable profit, it wasn't a flop. I think a city can be a genuine sh!thole and some of it's people can have that old, crazy mindless fidelity to it, as evidence by Harris. At the same time, Angela was clearly a terrible mother (probably raised by terrible parents), so had terrible sons. All things can be simultaneously true.

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

Quite an astute comment. Harris didn't care about the woman, or her family, he cared about his own sense of nostalgia. Probably got offended first time someone linked him to the book. "weren't you from there, originally?" You notice he lived most of his life in London and California, not Limerick.

[@walkingstick6655]

@@uncletiggermclaren7592 And I noticed that Harris conveniently didn't mention exactly why Frank McCourt hit him in the nose and ran. We all know Harris was no prize as a decent human being, how he treated people, so all the swelled-chest pride of Limerick and sense of familial duty are so ridiculous. Wonderful actor, probably a terrible human being.

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for sharing your insights! It’s refreshing to see such a nuanced take on the film and its characters.

[@emeraldchronicle]

I really appreciate your insightful comment! It’s interesting to see how nostalgia can shape our perceptions of identity.

[@greatest7391]

@@uncletiggermclaren7592 He was from a posh background outside Limerick.

[@zyxmyk]

Harris is always interesting. thanks.

[@hairstillred5135]

Mr. McCourt was a teacher for 27 years. He earned his living by teaching. Mr Harris was just an actor. I hear a lot of envy and bitterness when listening to him speaking about Mr. McCourt. How would Mr. Harris know what it was like growing up in poverty? He was very privileged from birth. And all his talking about „men“ from Limerick… just doesn‘t make much sense in my opinion.

[@emeraldchronicle]

You bring up some valid points about the different experiences that shape our perspectives. Mr. McCourt's journey as a teacher truly reflects the resilience of those who grew up in challenging circumstances.

[@lirmediatv753]

My uncle knew the McCourt and came from the same side as they. He was nothing was reality about McCourt’s portrayal.

[@karentaylor9550]

Only actor..... Richard speaks well, intelligent man. Calla a spade a shovel. Mc corts. Sound fanciful towards story telling and writing. They behavouved disgraceful to their mother. There father was their hero . The poor mother.

[@KLeonardM]

Damn, I cried my eyes out after reading both books and felt horrible for the entire McCourt family and for my ancestors as they too came from Limerick but I'm a bit startled or maybe just perplexed by Richard Harris's view of McCourt. I'm guessing Richard is a very proud Irish man as most I know but I can't help but feel pity for he not understanding McCourt's point of view. And, he called Frank and Malachy both users. Disturbs me big time and I'm really not sure why.

[@sagrammyfour]

Loved the book, loved the movie. Frank McCourt's story was his own, and it was true. As a writer, he took some creative liberties, but that's what creative artists do. Harris is an amazing man and actor--a trulY talented man. But, he is opinionated, prejudiced and rigid in his thinking and perception. HE IS TRULY THE EMBODIMENT OF THE PHRASE "FULL OF MALARKEY." He knows it, and revels in putting one over on his inferiors, which to him, is everyone. His strong concept of himself and ideas keeps him from empathizing thoughts, feeling and behavior of others. As in the case of many genius artists, he is able to do this when in character, on the stage or on screen, but in real life, he lacks insight and understanding. For instance, he interprets McCourt's leaving the pub after punching him as cowardice, when he can't imagine any other explanation. He interprets giving cigarettes to Angela as cruel, when it seems that the McCourt boys were only trying to do what their mother wanted. I'm a retired nurse, and I've spent a lot of time with dying people. Did Harris ever consider what withholding cigarettes would mean to a dying woman? Is he so daft, deluded and self-righteous to think it would save her life or make her last days happy? Harris is as shallow as a pizza pan when it comes to understanding people. He is SELF-CENTERED and egocentric. Thank God he has been able to overcome these faults when performing his craft. HARRIS IS ONLY AN ACT, DONE BY A CONSUMMATE ACTOR.

[@kevincarroll6490]

My father grew up in Dublin in the 1930s and told me about the discrimination by British and Protestant companies. l. Especially in management job.

[@emeraldchronicle]

Thank you for sharing your father's experiences! It's crucial to acknowledge the past and learn from those who faced discrimination.

[@freedomunltd]

Absolutely true and right into the 1970’s/80’s

[@lawLess-fs1qx]

thanks hadn't heard this before. Frank McCourt smacking Harris and running away was a great Story. We'll never know if it was true. Lovely to hear his voice again. How times have changed. Limerick has a huge contingent of Muslims now. It's the promised land for them.

[@emeraldchronicle]

I'm glad you enjoyed the story! Frank McCourt definitely had a way of bringing his experiences to life. It's fascinating to see how much Limerick has evolved over the years.

[@markmoran916]

Muslims all over limerick? Really? My dad’s from there and I spend a lot of time there. I smell racist horse shite

[@marilynbrown5274]

Richard Harris is very noble and kind to take up for McCourts Mother. Poor soul did not deserve mistreatment from her sons.

[@markdaly1648]

My father explained the row. The Harris family could well afford to send richard Harris to boarding school in England. My grandparents met in the cooperative movement via the Egan family who were the largest wholesalers in athlone, my grandfather worked in Harris Mills, bush Mills distillery etc. My fathers memory was things weren't all that shannonbridge. He couldn't finish Angela ashes,and described the movie as bullshit

[@smiley9872]

Largest wholesalers in Athlone of what? May I ask. I do remember an Egan family selling sweets and candy, is this the family you are referring to? Lots of Wholesalers in Athlone back in the day, of different many different products.

[@sheilabrennan4481]

still not clear what the row was about... I don't see how this speak to the row or the McCourt family's life experience... but rather the Harris experience and lifestyle.

[@GregDeman]

Bushmills is in Co. Antrim which is nowhere near Athlone.

[@CatherineQuinn-u5w]

I grew up in an Irish village. My youth was spent cycling around to deliver meals to people who had food insecurity. It’s just what people did for each other!

[@gungagalunga9040]

Please look up Gerry Hannon confronting McCourt on The Late Late Show.

[@emeraldchronicle]

That was definitely a memorable moment! Gerry Hannon had some tough questions, and it was great to see that level of confrontation on such a big platform.

[@MarkL-we8uk]

It was gold. With Gerry dressed as Kerrygold mascot....

[@gungagalunga9040]

@@MarkL-we8uk he looked like a pound of butter melting under the lights

[@MarkL-we8uk]

@@gungagalunga9040 all added to the whole aura of it.

[@ludwigwittgenstein2422]

That fool was an inarticulate clown

[@razortube101]

Richard Harris was a tremendous actor but his opinion is that of a disconnected middle class man who never experienced the Limerick thst McCourt did,Harris was the child of a flour merchant ,A description of Richards childhood home really shows the type of Limerick he experienced,"Overdale was "a tall, elegant, early 19th-century redbrick" house with nine bedrooms, in a wealthy part of Limerick, the houses "built at the turn of the 20th century for Limerick's burgeoning middle class... people who could afford properly grand drawing rooms, a bedroom each for the children and one for the pot, plus space for a few servants"

[@mjw12345]

Anyone recall - there was an animal incineration plant in Limerick, the stench was galactic, Martians noted it - it was for animals bTB/Brucellosis, what was it called? Ironside?

[@samanthab1923]

Ward Waste Product

[@emeraldchronicle]

It sounds like you have a vivid memory of that place! The incineration plant was indeed quite notorious for its odor. It's fascinating how some locations can leave such a lasting impression.

[@franzherflek4116]

Everything is objective! .. my brother a year younger than me Hates our father.... while i think hes the king ... Agree ti disagree

[@22Too]

Outrageous that Harris blames the McCourt family for the Limerick community neglecting them. The McCourt dad was a drunk! Why should his wife and children be BLAMED for THAT?!

[@lucyq7ollie]

I know personally how those "who think they know the truth" can destroy you.

[@emeraldchronicle]

It's unfortunate how some people can be so set in their ways. Your experience really highlights the importance of understanding and empathy.

[@raffles7556]

Well done to Richard for standing up for his own, nothing wrong with that.